Bowl from one end? Turner open to more flexibility

Bowling from the one end – it happens all the time in junior cricket, but could we see it in professional cricket?

At the moment the answer is no, but in the wake of last night's abandoned match in Geelong due to an unsafe pitch, Perth Scorchers captain Ashton Turner believes players are open to more flexibility in the playing conditions to get the game completed.

Just 6.5 overs were possible in the Scorchers’ opening match of the season against the Renegades at GMHBA Stadium before umpires took the players from the field and subsequently called the game off due to the unpredictable bounce of the surface.

More than 20mm of rain fell in the Geelong region in the 48 hours prior to Sunday's match, with local cricket washed out on Saturday and ground staff arriving at GMHBA Stadium on Sunday morning to find water had seeped under the covers and created a large wet patch at the southern end of the pitch.

They worked throughout the day to dry the wicket, and players and officials gave it their best effort to complete a match.

However their pre-toss concerns eventually came to fruition, when three consecutive deliveries from Will Sutherland in the seventh over that pitched in roughly the same area deviated substantially in different directions before reaching Scorchers batter Josh Inglis.

Renegades captain Nic Maddinson and Scorchers head coach Adam Voges both agreed, following game's abandonment, that in hindsight they shouldn't have started given the concerns over the surface, while Australian great Ricky Ponting floated the possibility of a trial over or two to assess state of the pitch.

Ironically, the one ball that was delivered prior to the match by Geelong Cats great Joel Selwood as part of the BBL's new celebrity first ball was bowled on the grass adjacent to the pitch due to the concerns over the playing surface.

"Obviously, the umpires tried to get a game in, we all want to play as much as we can and fans come and pay money to watch," Maddinson said post-match.

"You want to play, especially being only one game down here (in Geelong) this year. We like playing here, we wanted to get out, but it was pretty obvious when the covers came off before the toss that it was quite wet.

"Even the other spot a little bit further along where the bowlers were landing, I know Peter Siddle said he found it a little bit challenging that first over knowing how hard he could run in just because his foot was sliding a little bit.

"When all those things come into it, player safety is the highest priority, and I felt a decision probably could have been made a little bit sooner."

As it stands, under the KFC BBL|13 playing conditions, the umpires are the sole judges of the fitness of the pitch for play with only the captain and team coach allowed to walk on the pitch prior to the start of the match to assess its condition.

Currently, no balls are permitted to be bounced on the pitch prior to play to assess its condition, nor is anyone allowed to strike the pitch with a bat. A key or a knife may only be inserted in the pitch in the area between the popping and bowling creases.

But, in response to Ponting's idea, Turner told Channel Seven he was open to change.

"We spoke about that a little bit as well, I think we need some flexibility with the playing conditions," he said.

"I've heard ideas floated, 'Can we play from one end?'

"No doubt there is a way that we could get a game of cricket, but we need some flexibility with the playing conditions to allow that."

Cricket Australia annually reviews its playing conditions leading into each new season and has previously demonstrated a willingness to implement changes, as was the case for BBL|13 when they removed the automatic six ruling for hitting the Marvel Stadium roof.

Umpires will do everything they can to begin or complete play before abandoning a game, such as extending playing hours in first-class, but it must be fair for both sides and agreed upon by captains.

It's understood that it's unlikely bowling on the pitch would be allowed pre-match as there would be too much variance between different types of bowlers and their physical attributes all differ. The trial overs would also need to take place prior to the toss which occurs 45 minutes before the match, meaning the pitch could also change before the first ball.

"We are always seeking to improve our playing conditions, at the conclusion of each season we engage various stakeholders for suggestions on how we can improve the game," said Peter Roach, Cricket Australia's Head of Operations and Scheduling.

"There were multiple changes implemented this season like the ruling of when the ball hits the roof at Marvel Stadium. We'll again work with stakeholders ahead of next summer to determine if further variations are required."

Turner said he loves playing in the Big Bash and for the Scorchers and want the tournament to be "the best product it can be".

"I'll leave it to the powers that be to decide what the competition looks like but we're really excited, we've got five games in particular at home (and) we know we're going to be really well supported," he said.

"We've got another game here (against the Stars) at the MCG on Wednesday night and then we get home to what we think is going to be a really exciting crowd in Perth on the 20th."

CA confirmed the points for the match would be shared unless it can be rescheduled.

But that could be difficult given the Scorchers won't return to Melbourne for the rest of the regular season after their clash with the Stars on Wednesday.

"This is so unusual in a sense that you're probably making things up as we go, but let's hope it's not a situation that we have to worry about again," Voges said.

It's the first time in 556 BBL matches that a game has been abandoned because of a dangerous pitch, but it has happened recently in Australia's other domestic competitions, including a Marsh Sheffield Shield match between Victoria and Western Australia at the MCG in December 2019.

KFC BBL|13 standings

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Ties T	No results N/R	Net Run Rate NRR	Deductions Ded.	Total points PTS
1 Brisbane Heat Men HEA	10	7	1	0	2	0.972	0	16
2 Sydney Sixers Men SIX	10	6	2	0	2	0.339	0	14
3 Perth Scorchers Men SCO	10	6	3	0	1	0.725	0	13
4 Adelaide Strikers Men STR	10	5	4	0	1	0.331	0	11
5 Hobart Hurricanes Men HUR	10	4	6	0	0	-0.268	0	8
6 Melbourne Stars Men STA	10	4	6	0	0	-1.051	0	8
7 Melbourne Renegades Men REN	10	2	6	0	2	-0.288	0	6
8 Sydney Thunder Men THU	10	1	7	0	2	-0.652	0	4

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

T: Ties

N/R: No results

NRR: Net Run Rate

Ded.: Deductions

PTS: Total points

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